The first option is to toggle on your Closed Captioning. This setting allows you to visually read what the other user is audibly speaking. Toggling this option on can be incredibly useful not only for hard of hearing or Deaf persons, but also for situations where you are unable to listen to the other user speaking or would help having a visual aid to what they are saying.

The first way to turn this option on is by clicking the CLOSED CAPTION slider button at the top left of the cafe. The second option is located in SETTINGS button. Clicking this, the first option available is to turn closed captions on. When turning the closed captions on, you will need to wait up to sixty seconds to allow the program to start up and begin translating what is being audibly spoken.

The closed captioning, and in fact all audible transmissions, are better at picking up sound and speech when performed through a microphone of some kind. An iPhone headset microphone plugged into your computer can be up to three times more effective at picking up your speech and sound than using your webcam or built in mic system.

The second set of options available is to toggle what happens when someone joins your lobby. You can choose between PLAYING A SOUND, ANNOUNCE WITH TEXT-TO-SPEECH, or DON’T PLAY A SOUND. We always recommend playing some kind of sound to accompany someone joining in your lobby.

The PLAYING A SOUND option simply makes a plonk sound when someone enters your lobby. The ANNOUNCE WITH TEXT-TO-SPEECH option has the computer interpret the name of the person who joined your Lobby and announce their name to you and indicates they have joined your Lobby. The DON’T PLAY A SOUND option simply stays silent as someone enters your Lobby.

With the Google Chrome browser, all of these options are available without toggling any additional options. However, using FireFox, you will need to open a new tab, typing “about:config” in the URL Bar and hit enter. Next, click the “I’LL BE CAREFUL, I PROMISE” button and enter “media.webspeech.synth.enabled” in the search bar. You will see one row of text and options. In the Value field, double click False to turn it to True. A few other settings in the bar will be changed, but they are nothing to be worried about. After doing so, restart FireFox to secure the change in this option.

Now the Text-To-Speech options are enabled and available for use in FireFox.

You can also toggle on the USE TEXT-TO-SPEECH FOR INCOMING CHATS option. This allows the user who has this option enabled to have any chats typed into the Chat Box and sent to be read aloud to them. This option is incredibly useful to bring attention to the fact that someone has said something in the Chat Box, but also important to those that are hard of sight or Blind to be informed of what is being said within the Chat Box.

Next, there is the SHOW VIDEO/AUDIO TRANSMISSION STATS option which enables the user who has this option toggled on to show data about the audio and video data being sent and received. This is used to identify issues within the Cafe, helping to diagnose if an issue is Video, Audio, or Internet related, helping in fixing any Cafe issues between users.

Finally, there is the Lobby Welcome Message which allows you to change what message will be seen when a User enters your Lobby. You can alter what is being said, give helpful tips, inform users of the normal wait time, and even add a video for users to watch while they wait.

It is recommended that if you do not know how to alter messages in HTML, that you either have your IT Department or someone from ConexED alter the message for you, or to erase the Text located in between <div> and </div> and insert the text you would prefer to have users read. You can enter YouTube and Vimeo videos by clicking their share buttons, and choosing the Embed Link, copying, and pasting it beneath your Lobby Welcome Message text box.

If you have any questions or concerns and would like help with any aspect with Cranium Cafe, contact your local Cafe Coaches, IT Department, or ConexED staff to help you.

Tracy Gorham is the founder of Cranium Cafe, a WebRTC EdTech company that democratizes student engagement regardless of ability or location and instantly connects students with their academic support team with one-click. Tracy is a serial entrepreneur, starting her first hi-tech photo simulations company at 24 years old. Tracy has extensive experience in building new technologies and teams that create and inspire innovation. She is an alumni of Westminster College and is inspired everyday by the students who use her software to achieve their academic goals.

About the author: Tracy Gorham

Tracy Gorham is the founder of Cranium Cafe, a WebRTC EdTech company that democratizes student engagement regardless of ability or location and instantly connects students with their academic support team with one-click. Tracy is a serial entrepreneur, starting her first hi-tech photo simulations company at 24 years old. Tracy has extensive experience in building new technologies and teams that create and inspire innovation. She is an alumni of Westminster College and is inspired everyday by the students who use her software to achieve their academic goals.

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ConexED is devoted to the communication needs of students. Our software provides lite weight video conferencing which can be accessed through the school's website and their learning management software. This micro meeting technology allows students to connect to their school's departments and to each other in a safe and comfortable environment.